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Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter was located in Charleston, South Carolina. It lasted three days, April 12-14, 1861. General Beauregard was the Confederate commanding officer, and Major Robert Anderson was the Union commanding officer. The Confederacy won the battle. The Confederacy demanded the Union to give up the Fort, and the Union refused, so the Confederate armies opened fire on the Union. -
1st Battle of Bull Run
This was the first major battle in Virginia. The battle lasted from July 21-22,1861. The Union commander was General Irvin McDowell. The leading Confederacy commanders were General Beauregard and General Joseph Johnston. The Union Army lead the attack on the Confederate Army near Bull Run River in Centreville, Virginia. The Confederacy won this battle. Because of this battle, McDowell was fired and replaced by General George McClellan. -
Battle of Hampton Roads
This battle lasted from March 8-9, 1862. It was fought at sea, when the ironclad Virginia sank Cumberland and Congress. The leading Union commander was Lieutenant John Worden, and the leading Confederate commanders were Lieutenant Franklin Buchanan and Lieutenant Catesby Jones, There was no real victor, the battle was inconclusive. -
Battle of Shiloh
The battle lasted April 6-7, 1862. The leading Union commanders were General Ulysses S. Grant and General Don Carlos Buell. The leading Confederate commanders were General Albert Sidney Johnston and General Beauregard. The Union won this battle. After many casualties, the Confederacy decided to surrender and reteat. -
2nd Battle of Bull Run
The battle lasted until August 30, 1862. The main Union commanding officer was General John Pope, and the main Confederate commanding officers were General Robert E. Lee and General Thomas J. Jackson. The Confederacy wo0n this battle. There were heavy casualties on both sides, making it a costly war. This battle was the decisive battle of the Northern Virginia Campaign. -
Battle of Antietam
This battle lasted until September 18, 1862. The Union commanding officer was General George B. McClellan. The Confederate commanding officer was General Robert E. Lee. It was an inconclusive victory but the Union won strategically. No land was won in this battle, and there wasn't a big "prize" at the end. It is known as the "Bloodiest Day In American History". McClellan was fired as a result of this battle because when Lee retreated, McClellan didn't follow. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
This battle lasted until December 15, 1862. The Union commanding officer was General Ambrose E. Burnside, The Confederate commanding officer was General Robert E. Lee. The Confederacy won this battle. The Confederate army lead the attack onto the Union, with a high number of Union casualties. After 4 days of fighting, Burnside retreated and was fired as a result. Burnside was replaced by General Joseph Hooker. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln three years into the war. It declared that all slaves in the Confederacy were to be freed. This document did not free any slaves at all. The Confederacy thought of themselves as their own nation, so they did not listen to the proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation also inspired thousands of African-Americans to enlist in the army. -
Battle of Chancellorsville
This battle lasted until May 6, 1863. The Union commanding officer was General Joseph Hooker. The Confederate commanding officers were General Robert E. Lee and General Thomas J. Jackson. The Confederacy won this battle. The Union was on the offensive in this battle, attacking the southern army. The Confederate forces were numerous and strong, and crushed the Union. This battle is believed to be one of Lee's greatest victories. -
Siege of Vicksburg
This siege lasted until July 4, 1863, in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The Union commanding officer was General Ulysses S. Grant. The Confederate commanding officer was General John C. Pemberton. This siege was won by the Union. The point of the siege was to spilt the Confederacy in half by taking control of the Mississippi River. Taking control of the river would cut off the food supply from the coast, where most of the fighting was taking place, slowly destroying the Confederacy. -
Battle of Gettysburg
This battle lasted until July 3, 1863, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Union commanding officer was General George G. Meade. The Confederate commanding officer was General Robert E. Lee. This battle was a Union victory. This battle was the first, and only battle where the Confederacy was on the offensive. The Union army forced the Confederacy to retreat after 2 days. This battle was the battle of which the famous "Picketts Charge" happened. -
Siege of Atlanta
This siege happened in order for the Union army to march to the coast. The commanding Union officer was General William T. Sherman. The Confederate commanding officer was General John Bell Hood. It started in Atlanta, Geaorgia and ended in South Carolina. The Confederate army suffered many casualties while the Union stayed strong. -
Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse
The surrender happened at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia. General Robert E. Lee of the Confederacy surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union. This surrender ended the American Civil War and made the Confederacy part of the United States of America again. Abraham Lincoln made sure that the former Confederate states were treated with respect and dignity. -
Assasination of Abraham Lincoln
The assasination of Abraham Lincoln happened in Ford Theatre in . His assasin was John Wilkes Booth. Booth shot him in the head with a pistol then jumped off the railing and ran away. The USA was distraught at Lincolns assassination. The assassination happened just 5 days after the Civil War ended. -
Ratification of 13th Amendment
The ratification of the 13th Amendment took nearly one year. It was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and then finally ratified by all the states on December 6, 1865. The 13th amendment abolished slavery and made all blacks in the United States of America free citizens.
